RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA
Daut David
the church when he was installed in Dec, 1668, and the formation of the Old South Church. He wrote comparatively little. Of most interest are The Saint's Anchor-hold in All Storms and Tempests (London, 1661) and The Power of Congregational Churches Asserted and Vindicated (1672).
Bibliography: F. B. Dexter, in the Papers of the New Haven Colony Historical Society, ii (.1877), 204-238; Cotton Mather, Magnolia, bk. iii., vol. i., chap, iv., pp. 321- 331, Hartford, 1855; B. Brook, Lives of the Puritans, iii. 446-451, London, 1813; DNB, xiv. 110-111.
DAVID.
Discussion of Sources (§1). Early Life (§2). Early Rule (§ 3).
Domestic and Administrative Difficulties (§ 4). Services to the Cultus (§ 5). Character (§6).
David was the second king of Israel, and ruled, according to the traditional computation, about 1055-15 B.C.; according to Kamphausen {Chronologie, Bonn, 1883), 1010-978 b.c. He was a son of Jesse of Bethlehem, of the tribe of Judah. The Book of Ruth names the grandparents of Jesse, Boaz and the Moabitess Ruth. The main source for the life of David is the books of Samuel and Kings. The books of Chronicles give additions aiming to emphasize David's services to the cultus.
In the books of Samuel the prophet- I. Discus- ical historiography prevails, and his sion of political and military activity is treat- Sources, ed only in a summary way, since the religious interest predominates. The narrative of David's earliest life is less uniform, and the sources are not adjusted throughout. In the statements about his reign the narrative is uniform, following almost contemporaneous sources. The post-Biblical notices (e.g., the statements of Josephus) have little historical value.
David was first anointed secretly at Bethlehem by Samuel (I Sam. xvi. 1-13). On that occasion he appears as the youngest of eight sons (I Sam. xvi. 10, xvii. 12); according to I Sam. xvi. 14-23, David went to the court of Saul to banish by his harp the evU spirit of the king, and was made Saul's armor-bearer. In I Sam. xvii. he appears again as shepherd-boy, who with his sling 2. Early, kills Goliath of Gath. It is difficult Life. to harmonize xvii. 65-58, where Saul does not know David, with chap. xvi. But no doubt there were different sources (see Samuel, Books of). It is noteworthy that in the Septuagint, cod. Vat., verses 55 sqq., together with xviii. 1-5, also xvii. 12-31, are wanting. It is debated whether the Septuagint omitted these passages for the sake of avoiding the difficulty or whether they came later into the canonical text. Even in the latter case they may belong to an ancient book on David. At any rate, David's victory over the gigantic Philistine, which is also attested by the Septuagint, may not be rejected as unhistorical, continued as it is by I Sam. xxi. 9, xxii. 10. Whether this Philistine was really called GoKath (see Philistines), which some deny on account of II Sam. xxi. 19 (cf. I Chron. xx. 5), is unimportant. David's fame made Saul distrustful
(I Sam. xviii. 6-9). He denied to him his daughter Merab, whom he had promised to the victor, and only reluctantly gave his second daughter Michal, who loved David (I Sam. xviii. 17-27). He often threatened David's life (I Sam. xviii. 11, xix. 10- 17). Even Saul's son Jonathan, who was warmly attached to David, could not influence the father in his favor; but he made with David a covenant of friendship (I Sam. xviii. 3-4, xx., xxiii. 16-18). Here, too, the narrative is not harmonious, and the simpler rendering of the Septuagint is perhaps nearer the original, according to which Merab had never been promised to David and Saul cast his javelin at the singer once only. David for a time sought refuge with Samuel in the colony of the prophets, but soon had to leave (I Sam. xix. 18- XX. 1). The assistance granted by Ahimelech the priest at Nob became detrimental to the latter and his whole house (I Sam. xxi.-xxii.; see Doeg). David first went to the Philistines (I Sam. xxi. 10- 15), and then made his abode in the cave Adullam in Judah. Here he became the leader of a band of 400 men and supported himself by bold attacks upon the enemies of his people and by tribute levied upon the owners of land and herds (I Sam. xxii. 1-2, xxiii., xxv.). His life in the hill and desert country of Judah was restless and dangerous. Saul drove him from one hiding-place to another, and, though the king was twice in his power, David magnanimously saved him (I Sam. xxiii.xxvi.).
When David was no longer able to maintain himself in Judah he offered his services to King Achish of Gath, who gladly accepted this reenforcement and gave him the city of Ziklag (Zuheilikah, six hours and a half southwest of Bet-Jibrin) for a residence; he was supposed to fight against the Judeans, but in reality he attacked their enemies, the Geshurites, Gezerites, and Amalekites (I Sam. xxvii.). A year later Achish asked David to join him in a campaign against Israel, but the other princes of the Philistines insisted that David be sent back (I Sam. xxix.). Ziklag had meanwhile been plundered by the Amalekites, but David recovered the booty (I Sam. XXX.). The Israelites were defeated at Mount Gilboa, and Saul and his son Jonathan were slain (I Sam. xxxi.). In his " Song of the Bow " (II Sam. i.) David has beautifully immortalized the general mourning and his personal grief for his friend.
Encouraged by divine direction, David took his place in the land of Judah, and made his abode in Hebron, where the Judeans proclaimed him king (II Sam. ii. 1-4). At first he was king over Judah only for seven years and six months (II Sam. ii. 11, V. 5). The northern tribes were induced by Abner, Saul's captain, to swear allegiance to
3. Early Ishbaal (more generally called Ish- Rule. bosheth), a son of Saul who resided at Mahanaim in the East Jordan land (II Sam. ii. 8-9). Abner tried to subject Judah to him, but was defeated by Joab, David's captain (II Sam. ii. 10-32). Abner afterward negotiated with David and offered to him the rule of all Israel, but was murdered by Joab (II Sam. iii. 6-27). Ishh^^■^l was slain soon after (II Sam. iv. 1-8). David
David